Machine for incorporating stiffeners in boots and shoes



F. Ricks "MACHINE FOR INOGRPORATING STIFFENERS IN BOOTS AND SHOES FiledAug. 10, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2a 52 so 56' J4 24 igl Oct. 16, 1928.

F. RICKS MACHINE FOR INCORPORATING STIFFENERS IN BOOTS AND SHOES FiledAug. 10. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.4.

Patented Oct. 16, 1928.

barren STATES PATENT orrics.

FRED KICKS, OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHQE MACHINERYGOR- PORATION, OF PAT E RSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION (1F NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR INCORPORATING STIFFENERS IN BOOTS ANDv SHGES.

Application filed August 10, 1925, Serial No..49,307, and in GreatBritain September 12, 1924.

This invention relates to machines for placing and for pressing intoplace in the uppers of boots and shoes, preparatory to the pulling-overand lasting operations, stiffen-ere which require some preliminarytreatment such as dipping them in a solvent or subjecting them to heatin order to render them sticky and pliable.

BOX-toe blanks of this general type are commonly incorporated in theuppers of boots and shoes in two ways (1) by stitching or stapling themin place and by putting them loosely into the upper and depending upontheir sticky quality when softened and upon pressure to fix them inposition in the upper, the present invention being concerned with amachine for use in carrying out the last-named procedure. For example, athermoplastic box-toe blank in its stiff condition is commonly placed inposition between the proper layers of material at the toe portion or theupper, and then said toe portion, with the blank in place, subjected tothe action of a heated press whereby the blank is softened by the heatand pressed into the layers of the pper to fix it in place.

tions is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,443,378,granted Jan. 30, 1923,

upon an application filed in the name of Ordway, said machine beingadapted for use only with uppers before they are assembled upon lasts. iIn incorporating a box toe'blank in an up per in the manner which hasbeen described above, the operator works at a disadvantage by reason ofthe fact that, in inserting the box-toe blank in the upper preparatoryto the pressing operation, he must do three things at the same time,namely hold the upper down upon a table or other support, pull backcertain layers at the toe portionof the upper and insert the box-toeblank in position.

According to the present invention, there are provided upper supportingmeans for facilitating the insertion of the stiffener and means forpressing theinserted stiffener into place, whether the upper is on orofithe last. The pressing means may be heated, as n the machine of thepatent; or, if deslred, the

ings A machine for ac complishing the heating and pressing operapressing means may be cold, and the stiffener rendered soft and stickyprior to the presentaterial of the upper and to insert the stitfenerbetween the proper layers.

Thls and other features of the invention including certain details ofconstruction and combinations of parts will be described as embodied inan illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now Figure 1 shows in side elevation a machine, according tothe invention, for supporting an upper assembled upon a last tofacilitate the insertion of a box-toe blank, and having meansforpressing the toe portion of the upper;

Figure 2 showsdiagrammatically on an enlarged scale a portion ofmaterials of an. upper supported by'the machine of Figure 1 at a certainstage in a preferred way of using the machine; V

Figure 3 shows inside elevation another form of machine according to theinvention; and

Figure 4 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 3. I r

The machine shown in Figure 1 has means for supporting an upper whetheron'or oil the last in such manner as to leave both hands of an operatorfree to manipulate the toe portion of the upper while he inserts abox-toe blank in proper position in the upper as hereinafter described,and means for thereafter pressing the toe portion of the upperv sosupported, with the box-toe blank in position in, the upper, so as toattach the blank to oneor more adjacent layers of the upper.

For holding orsupporting the last, the machine comprises an abutment 1for the heel end of a last, a last pin 2 movably mounted and adapted topress a last 3 placed to the accompanying draw- 7 underthe base.

thereon against the abutment 1 and a table 4 upon which the toe portionof the upper may be held while a box-toe blank is positioned upon it.

The last-heel [abutment 1' is conveniently lined with felt or the likeand is V shaped, extending upwardly and at a small angle to the verticalfrom a base 5 which carries astandaid 6 on which a lever 7 carrying thelast pin: 2 is pivotally mounted.

The lever 7 carries the last pin pointing downwardly and forwardly onone of its ends, and the other end extends'rearwardly of the pivot andis-connected at 8 to a treadle (not shown) placed horizontal and issurrounded by a spiral springlO which tends'to move the last p nto}wards the abutment 1, the last pm'bemg roughly p'arallel,in theposition'shown, to the'line forming the apex of the V" of the abutment.As shown in liigaire 1, the'last 3 held by the pin 2 andabutm'ent 1occupies a position bottom down with the toeport'ion' pointing upwardlytowards the operator;

The table l'is' supported by legs'11 upon the base 5 and is positionedat a small angle to the horizontal, so that the toe portion of an upperassembled'on the last 3, but heldat its rear end between the last andabutment 1, may b'eturn'ed backwardly over the table 4 and there held bythe operator in his full View, inside uppermost, while the box-toe blankis being inserted as hereinafter described. I p A Inus'ing the machln'ethe operator places an upperupon a last and depresses'the treadlementioned, thus liftingthe last pi'n2' away from the heel abutment 1. Hethen places the last upon the pin and releases the treadle.

Release of the treadle causes'thelast to be clamped between the pin andabutment with the forepart of the last closely under the table 4 and thetip line of the upper adjacent to the edgeof the table. The toe portionof the upper is then turned back uponthe table and held there by onehand ofthe operatorwhile the blank is inserted by the other hand, nomanual holding of the last being required. A second depression of thetreadle at the conclusion of the use of the machine releases the last.

An'upper as placed on its last generally comprises, besides the materialcomposing the actual toje tip which will be visible when the shoe is inwear, one or more layers of fabric of an absorbent nature. It will beassumed that the upper is of this kind and that these last-mentionedmaterials are attached to: gether by stitches'running across the toe tipfrom side to side of the shoe near the tip line so that the rear edge ofthe visible toe tip overlaps the forward edge of the vamp ofthe up-,

per; and it will be further assumedthatth'e boX-toeblank' to be usedis'a composite one made of two separate pieces, the one ther- The pivot9 of'the lever 7'is" doubters.

and the machine enables the position of this layer to be thus fixed withsingular facility. Referring more particularly to Fig.2, it will be seenthatthe upper of the shoe is so held that the rear edge of the toe tip His'adjacent to' thero'unded edge of the table 4 so that, if the toe tipis pressed'down upon the table and the fabric layers '17 18 pulledback,-

thetoe tip is bent away from the forward edge of the vamp 13t0 provide agroove or pocket into which. the operator may place thebottom "or rearedge o'f the piece 15 which has been previously wet so asto be soft andpliable.

The thermoplastic piece may then be inserted while hot and soft'and thenthe layers all secured together as usual-by a mere wipe ofthe fingersorhand to press them firmly together and ensure adherence, but, ashereinafter indicated, themachine comprises apresser that may be used'for this latter purpose. It will be apparent that the machinemay beuse'd'in the manner described to incorporate' 1n an'upperany box-toeblank which is'sticky. In Figure 2,-theportions- 16, 1'?

and'lS'represent respectively a lin'ing proper not-attachedto the upperatthe toe. portion, and two layers of fabric, usually known-as Dealingnow with the aforementioned pressingarrangements of the machine ofFigure '1, the presser 20 is mounted upon a stem 21'which 'can'mo ve upand down in a bore in a bracket member 22"slidably car-riedby a bar23"which is'adapted to slide horizontally in bearings 24, 25, carried atthe upper endsof exten'sio'ns'26, 2-7 of the standard 6. The rearendofthebar 23 is connectedby a cord 28 to a second treadle', by.depression-off which the rod may be broughtforwardly to thepositionshown against the pressure of spiral springs 29, 30 confined by collars31, 32'fixed on the'rod'28'. Pivoted upon the bracket 22 at 33 isabell-cranklever Slslotted at its ends to engage pins. 36 fixedrespectively upon the stem 21an'd' the bar 23. The bracket alsocarries'a'stop 37 for the lever 34.

Except when in use for pressing the toe portion of an upper the presser20, bracket 22 and lever 3e occupy the positions indicated by the dottedlines 260,- 220and 340, the bar 23 being maintained in a-rearwardposition by thesprings 29, 30. o By a pull upon the cord 28 the bar 23moves forward carr in with it the bracket 22 which is propelled by thespring until it reaches the bearing 24:. The bracket being thus stopped,further movement of the bar 23 and pin 36 causes rock-. ing movement ofthe lever' l into the position shown and causes depression of thepresser 20 upon the table l. The treadleby which the cord 28 is pulledis latched in position if it is desired to hold the presser down withoutaction by'the operator.

On release of the treadle, the springs 29, 3O expand, the action of thelatter being to hold the bracket 22 in its forward position until thelever 84 contacts with the stop 37, the presser 20 being thereby raisedfrom its pressing position before moving rearwardly, this lattermovement being for the purpose of affording ample clearanceformanipulation of the work on the table 4, it being understood that, inorder to operate as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 2,there should be abundant room above the table 4 for various layers suchas 17, 18 to be turned back, the box-toe blank inserted, and the layersreturned to position over the blank, all while the toe cap lies'on thetable 4 .As shown, the presser 20 is so mounted and operated that thesqueezing pressure is distributed uniformly over the blank; it may,however, be mounted so that the pressure is concentrated along the rearmargin of the blank to secure the advantageous thinning of that marginby pressure upon the soft materialof the blank, as in the press of'theUnited States patent.

In addition to its pressing mechanism, the device of Figure 1 comprisesan upper clamping finger adapted to clamp upon the top face of the table4 at the rear margin thereof the extreme toe portion of the toe tip ofthe upper. Such a finger is shown at 40, extending from the hub of thelever 7, so that, as the last pin 2 moves toward the abutment 1 to clampthe last 3, the finger comes down towards the upper lying on the table.A stop pin 42 is provided to limit the upward movcv ment of the spring4L0 so that it does not interfere with the rearward movement ofthepresser 20. p The machine has been described above as provided with apresser 20, a last holder 2 and a clamping finger 40. It should benoted, however, that certain of these parts may be omitted or not usedunder certain circumstances without destroying the utility of themachine. For example, it may be desired to place a softenedthermoplastic blank in an upper before the upper is assembled upon thelast in which case the last holder is not required. In such case the toeportion of the upper may be placed upon the table i and held there byengagement of the clamp 40 with the toe tip while the operator insertsthe softened blank in the upper.

I The form of machine shown in Figures 3 and a is designed only for usein incorporating a box-toe blank in an upper which is already assembledupon a last. The pressing parts comprise a table 52 and a presser which,as in the machine described in the patent referred to above, squeezebetween them the toeportion of the upper and the blank by reason of thedescent of an arm 51 on which the presser is pivoted.

The machine comprises an extension from the base 53 of the presscomposed of two vertical ribs 55, spaced apart a convenient distance(about two inches) to support the cone of a last between them. The ribs55 extend horizontally forward towards an operator of the press forabout ten inches, there terminatingin vertical front ends 56, the topsof the and the ribs are mutually rigidly positioned. conveniently upon acommon supporting bench or board to which all are united and which iscutaway between the ribs so as to leave clearance for even a high upperto hang down between them. ribs are beveled off downwardly towards eachother providing a V support for the cone of a-last resting upon them.Eurther last holding means is provided by a last toeend sup port mountedon the end of the presser-carry ing armfil of the press, This support iscomposed of a wire 57, U shaped when viewed from above, with its endsattached to the 7 arm and extending forwardly and down wardly therefromtowards the operator and the ribs.

In using the machine, the operator place a last (on which an upper hasbeen assembled) toe end upwards with the cone of the last between thefront ends of the ribs as shown at the right in Figure 3, said ribsbeing beveled inwardly as shown in Figure 4-. The substantially uprightlast thus sup ported rests against the chest of the operator so that theoperator has both his hands free. He can then place a b :r-toe blank incorrect position between the layers of the toe portion of the upper, asindicated by the arrow in Figure 3. Then, holding the upper at eitherside at the tip line, he will draw the upper towards the press, passingthe toe pormay 'tion of the upper, with the previously in serted box-toeblank, in between the presser and the table of the press and its tipline adjacent the edge of the table. In this movement the lastnecessarily follows the upper and travels sole upwards with its cone mthe guideway between the ribs. As the toe end of the upper entersbet-ween the presser and the table, the toe end of the last engages thesupport 57, is lifted thereby, and is held,

as shownyabov e the presser, the rear end of the last remainingsupported on the ribs.

The top edges of the ribs being approximately on a level with the top ofthe table 52 of the press. The press press is unheated-,but, ifthe-press is heated and the heat-resistant layer is of fabricimpregnated with a water soluble gum, ad

vantage may be taken of the heating of the press to facilitate finingthe gummed fabric layer in position in the upper, since the heat I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1.A machine for incorporating a stiffener in the upper of a shoe having,in combination, upper supporting means for facilitating the insertion ofthe stiffener by the operator, and means for pressing the stiffener intoplace.

2. A machine ior incorporating a stiifener in the upper of a shoehaving, in combination, a support for the upper constructed and arrangedto permit the operator to .use both hands to manipulate the layers o'fthe' upper and to inserta stiffener between select-- ed layers, andmeans for pressing the-stiffener into place.

3. A machine for incorporating a stiffener in the upper ot a shoehaving, in combination, means for facilitating the support of an upperso as to leave both hands of the operator tree to manipulate the layersof the upper and to insert a stiliener between selected layers, andmeans for pressing the stiiiencr into place. I

4-. A machine for incorporating a stiffener in the upper or a shoehaving, incombination, a table adapted to receive the toe portion of theupper, and means for supporting the upper in position to permit its toepor tion to lie upon the table.

5. A machine for incorporating a box-toe blank in the upper of a shoehaving, in combination, a table adapted to receive the toe portionot'the upper, n eans for supporting the upper in position to permit itstoe portion to lie upon the table, and means for pressing the toeportion including on inserted bo2 -toe blank against the table.

6. A machine for incorporating a box-toe blank in the upper of a boot orshoe having, in combination, a. table, means'for support ing an upperassembled upon a last in position to permit the toe portion of the upperto lie upon the table, and means for pressing the toe portion includingan inserted box-toe blank against the table. I

"tion is engaged by the press.

, A machine of the-class described having, in combination, a pressadapted to eXertpressureupon-a portion otthe upper ofa shoe, and asupport adjacent to the press for'hold ing an upper assembled upon alast in such manner thatthe manipulation ot th'e layers otthe upper andthe insertion of a stiffener between selected layers ot the upper priorto the pressing operation is facilitated.

8. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a press.adapted to exert'pressure upon a portion of theupper of a shoe, and asupport adjacent to the press for holding an upper assembled upon alastin such manner that the manipulation of the layers of the upper andthe insertion of a stiffenerbetwecn selected-layers of. the upper priorto the pressing operation is facilitated, said support beingconstructedandarranged to engage the last at two separated localitiesduring the pressing operation.

9. A. machine 01 the class described having, in combination, a press.adapted to exert pressure upon a portion of the upper of a shoe, and asupport carried byv the frame of the press for holding a lastwith'theupper assembled thereon in such manner that the manipulation ofthe layers of the upp'erf and the insertionot' astifi'enerbetwecn'selecte'd layers, prior to the pressing operation, isfacilitated.

10. A machine of the class described having, incombination,-pressingmeclianism, and a support for anup'perassembledup'on a last, said support extending in' front of thepressingmechanism and having a recess to receive the cone of the last.

11. A machine ofthe classv described having, in combination, a pressadapted to fix a vstiltenerin position in-theu'pper' of a sho'c and amember adjace'ntto the press for sup porting an upper assembled uponailast in two? positions, a position'in whichthe toe portion 01" theupper is accessibleto the operator and a position in which the toe por-12; A machine of the class described having, in combination, pressingmechanism including a table and a presser, a'supp'ort for an upperassembled upon a last, said support having a-guideway "for the cone ofthe last extending toward the pressing mechanism so that apull exertedonthe'toe portion of the upporin aldir'ection to'pla'ce' said toe'portionbetween the table and the press-er means for engagingthe toep'ortion'o'f the last during such movement and'for' holding itduring thepressing operation.

13. A machine for incorpo'rating 'a boxtoe blank in-the upper ofafboot'or shoe having, in combination, a. t'able and a member adapted tosupport an upper-assembled upon a last adjacent to the table with thetoe end of the last pointing upward and the toe por-' will pull the lastalong the'gu'ideway, and I tion of the upper resting upon the table.upper resting upon the table,ra,nd means for 14. A machine forincorporating a box-toe pressing the toe portion of the upper againstblank in the upper of a, shoe having, in c01nthe table. 10 hination', atable, a member adapted to sup- In testimony whereof I have signed my 5port an upper assembled upon a last adjename to this specification.

cent to the table with the toe end of the last pointing upward andthetoe portion of the FRED KICKS.

